Miserere

Description

"The pieces presented here are those that The Tallis Scholars are most often asked to perform in concert. The reputation of Allegri's Miserere - which we have sung over three hundred times around the world - is well established. Its history is beautiful, but it may not be much better than that of the mass that 'saved liturgical music,' Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli. Regardless of the accuracy of the facts, these two compositions were intended for the Sistine Chapel - the musicians were then surrounded by the freshly completed frescoes by Michelangelo. Before performing Allegri's Miserere in concert, I sometimes stand up to invite the audience to imagine themselves in the Sistine Chapel, with the famous choir gallery halfway up the right wall, where the soloists stand, the highest voice projecting the counter-C on the vault. No matter how different the concert venue, this image of heaven on earth never fails to enhance the lived experience. In truth, singing in the Sistine Chapel, as we did in 1994, remains what we have accomplished that is most memorable." Peter Phillips © 2007